to be put to torments and cruell death In like maner shall it bee with the Elect and Reprobate faithfull and vnfaithfull the godly and the wicked at this generall and great Assize both shall arise out of their close prison I meane their Graues but the one sort to be euer with the Lord and to be euer in a continuall ioyfull practice ministring praises and Songs of Thanksgiuing saying Saluation and glory and honour bee to the Lord our God c. Math. 25. The other to bee banished from the presence of the Lord and to bee finally adiudged to euerlasting fire and torments Therefore O godly man hold on and goe forward in a godly course of life Thou shalt haue comfort and ioy at the last euen a solace sempiterne and perpetuall For eye hath not seene eare hath not heard neither hath it entred into the heart of man 1. Pet. 1.4 what good things the Lord hath prepared for them that loue him and the inheritance of Gods Children is incorruptible vndefiled and neuer fadeth away But if thou art a wicked man and hast walked in the broad way that leadeth to destruction and continuest in thy wicked life without repentance then thou shalt rise in the last Day but to iudgement to torment to bee cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where are paines endlesse Luke 16. caselesse and remedilesse Looke to the example of the rich Glutton At this day and time of account Kings Queenes Princes Earles Barons and Baronets Knights Esquires Gentlemen Yeomen rich and poore young and old all one as well as another shall bee demanded how they haue occupied their Talents as wee may gather by the Parable Mat. 25. The Virgins that expect the Bridegroome with Oyle and Lampes prepared shall be blessed The wicked shall be sifted with straight examination and shall giue an account of a thousand matters whereof they would haue scorned to haue been told of in this life by Minister or Magistrate as how they haue spent their time whether they haue fought against the world the Flesh and the Diuell Of which and many other things they must giue an account of The sinners Tryall yea of euery idle word And heere wee are to note that as when persons are tryed at our Assizes vpon matters of life and death there are vsually accusers and witnesses written and printed Lawes and Bookes by which men are tryed for no man is condemned vpon a bare accusation without testimonie some apparant proofe or at leastwise some great probabilitie that cannot bee spoken against and the breach of the some branch of the Lawes So the Scriptures speaking after the manner of men proue that there shal be both accusers and witnesses against a false Steward a wicked man at this great Assize The accusers are a mans owne thoughts after which sort the thoughts of the Gentiles are said to accuse them or excuse them Rom. 2.15 16. at the day when God shall iudge the secrets of men by Iesus Christ A mans wicked thoughts then are sinnes and vnlesse a man repent him of them deserue death And therefore Peter bad Simon Magus pray to God if perhaps the thoughts of his heart may bee forgiuen him And for this cause our Sauiour speaking of an euill heart saith that out of it proceede euill thoughts Mat. 15.19 from these wicked thoughts come many euill and wicked words whereof the sinner must giue an account yea Mat. 12.36 many sinnes and wickednesses that shall correct a man and many turnings backe that shall reprooue him Ier. 2.19 Our thoughts therefore may well bee said to accuse vs at this day of reckoning And here it is strange to see how wonderfully worldly men are deceiued in this point they will say Thought is free as though it were lawfull for them to thinke at pleasure without sinning or punishment It is true that man may thinke what he will freed from mans knowledge and punishment For as it is true that no man knoweth the thoughts of man so it is as true that no man can iustly inflict punishment vpon man for his thoughts for he knoweth not them Onely God the searcher of the hearts and reynes knoweth mans thoughts and punisheth them if they are wicked and that deseruedly For euill thoughts defile man Mat. 15.19 20. and therefore worthily are condemned Zech. 8.17 The witnesses against man are foure 1. God 2. Heauen and Earth 3. Rust of the Gold and Siluer of wicked rich men 4. A mans Conscience First God is a witnesse who knoweth all things yea the very secrets of the heart therefore the truest and best witnesse This is proued Malachy 3.5 Mal. 3.5 I will said he come neere to you in iudgement and I will be a swift witnesse against the Southsayers and against the Adulterers and against false swearers and against those that wrongfully keepe backe the hirelings wages and vex the widdow and the fatherlesse and oppresse the stranger and feare not mee saith the Lord. This righteous Lord and true witnesse will set before mans face the things that hee hath done Hee vvill bring to light the hidden things of darknes make manifest the counsels of the heart that euery one that thinketh well and doth well may haue praise of God and he that thinketh not well Math. 25. nor doth well may bee cast into euerlasting fire prepared for the Diuell and his Angels Deut. 4.26 The second witnesse Heauen and earth The Lord saith to Israel when thou shalt beget children and childrens children and shalt haue remained long in the land if yee corrupt your selues and make any grauen image or likenesse of any thing and worke euill in the sight of the Lord thy God to prouoke him to anger I call Heauen and Earth to record against you this day that yee shall shortly perish from the land whereunto ye goe ouer Iordan to possesse it yee shall not prolong your dayes therein but shall vtterly bee destroyed The like place we haue Deut. 30.19 Deut. 30.19 Where the Lord calleth Heauen and Earth to witnesse against them saying that he had set before them life and death a blessing and a curse and bids them chuse life that they may liue with their seed Beloued Christians let vs take heed what we doe heere on the earth For our sayings doings are knowne and seene from aboue and the earth vpon which our sinnes are committed can beare witnesse of the same against vs if our words and deeds are euill Thirdly the rust of the gold and siluer of couetous worldlings shall be a witnesse against them which hath beene layd vp till it rusted for want of vsing and well employing to the vse of the poore And as their gold and siluer is eaten vp and fretted with rust so they for not vsing their treasure well shall be eaten vp and deuoured with the fire of hell that is they shall be tormented with euerlasting flames
of fire This doth Iames teach vs saying Iam. 5.1 2 3. Goe to now ye rich men weepe and howle for your miseries that shall come vpon you your riches are corrupt and your garments are moth-eaten your gold and siluer is cankred and the rust of them shall be a witnesse against you and shall eate your flesh as it were fire Ye haue heaped vp treasures for the last dayes How foolish then are greedie couetous men Rom. 1. which heape vp wrath against the day of wrath and of the declaration of the iust iudgement of God Mat. 5. How much better were it for them to lay vp treasures not vpon earth where the rust and moth doth corrupt and where theeues breake thorow and steale but rather to lay vp treasures in heauen where neither rust nor moth doth corrupt and where theeues doe not breake thorow nor steale Fourthly a mans conscience shall witnesse with him or against him as the Apostle doth testifie Rom. 2. speaking thus of the Gentiles When the Gentiles saith he which haue not the Law doe of nature the things conteined in the Law they hauing not the Law are a law vnto themselues which shew the effect of the Law written in their hearts their conscience also bearing witnesse and their thoughts accusing one another or excusing at the day when God shall iudge the secrets of men by Iesus Christ according to my Gospel Note I beseech you the Apostles words He saith That the conscience of the Gentiles shall beare witnesse and he telleth when she shall doe this to wit when God shall iudge the secrets of men by Iesus Christ meaning the day of Iudgement But that I may speake more plainely note I beseech you beloued Christians that as mens doings are two-fold good or bad They are good which proceed from faith and are agreeable to the Law of God and they are euill which proceed from infidelitie and are repugnant to the Lawes of God So the motions of mens hearts are two-fold either ioyfull which concomitate good deedes or sorrowfull which alwayes accompany euill deedes Hereupon it commeth to passe that one Conscience may bee called good another bad Omnis Conscientia cum scientia Now a good conscience is a ioyfull motion of the heart arising from a certaine knowledge of wel-doing or it is the iudgement of the mind grounded vpon knowledge concerning a mans good deeds ministring ioy vnto him Hereupon Paul said Our reioycing is this the testimonie of a good conscience 2. Cor. 1.12 Paul bended his wit and will and laboured earnestly to haue a good conscience towards God and man and he had such an one and with it could truly say I am pure from the blood of all men And further at his end his conscience so comforted strengthened and emboldened him that he without any scruple or hesitation 2. Tim. 4.7.8 said I haue fought a good fight I haue finished my course I haue kept the faith c. A good conscience makes a merrie heart whiles wee liue makes vs to sleepe more quietly then if we layd our heades on a Doune-pillow and when death approcheth she causeth man not to feare to die and then will not forsake him when all worldly vanities and shadowes vanish fade away and yet she wil doe him the best seruice that she can shee will plead for him and witnesse with him O what a treasure is a good conscience She is as it were mount Tabor a glimpse of glory vpon earth a comfortresse of thy heart at the houre of death and a faithfull friend and witnesse to stand by thee at the day of Iudgement when thou shalt haue most need But an euill conscience is in this world as it were an hellish Hagge an infernall Furie euer tormenteth man followeth him she alwayes keepeth a true record of all mans euill thoughts words and workes troubleth man with direfull suggestions and temptations she is neuer at peace and quietnesse she bringeth man to destruction as it may appeare by the examples of Cain Iudas Arrius and many others and yet she hath not done but continuing an enemy at the last Day will witnesse against a man all his sinnes his swearing forswearing lying stealing iniuries oppressions and all other his workes of the flesh and darknesse She will not nor cannot forget them For all mens faults are so perfectly knowne vnto her and so firmely impressed in her that shee is compared to a booke a booke of remembrance wherein all things are so perfectly recorded that they cannot be forgotten Reu. 20 12. Iob saith Thou hast sealed vp our sinnes in a bagge to shew the exact and strict kind of keeping of them against that Day of account So that not an euill thought not an euil word not an euill deed can be forgotten they are all so surely recorded and the time of opening this booke and reading them ouer to the hearing of the world is the day of Iudgement For then all mens faults shall be knowne and in them that haue offended they shall be punished Foolish men and women think that all their wicked thoughts all their idle and euill words passe away with the wind but it is not so for in this booke they are written and recorded and once the booke shall be opened and thy secret sinnes discouered Now if we come to the liues of men and women alasse they are most wicked they are nothing else but a continuall practice of sinne Well let vs labour to keepe a good conscience an vnblotted and vnblurred booke and then we shall preuent and escape the danger The booke and touchstone of the triall The Booke and touchstone whereby all our thoughts words and workes shall be examined and tried is the Word of God it is I say the Rule and Line by which they ought to be leuelled squared and wrought by The Apostle Paul saith Rom. 1.16 That at the day of Iudgement God shall iudge the secrets of men by Iesus Christ according to his Gospel he meaneth that Gospel whereof he was a preacher not an authour Our thoughts words and workes must be tryed by the Word of God If therefore our thoughts words and workes are not agreeable to the Word of God to Gods rules and commandements they are as odious distastefull and vnpleasing vnto the Lord as the offering vp of brused things were in the time of the Law Therefore let the Word of God O man be a lanterne to thy feet and a light vnto thy pathes that thou mayest not wander out of the old ancient wayes of the Lord but goe the straight wayes to Heauen alwayes directing thy steps by this Word of God When the poore wretched sinner accused by his own thoughts is found culpable in his words and workes and is conuicted by euident and plaine testimonies as before because he made no conscience of his wayes and neuer directed his goings according to the Word of God behold in what lamentable
be thanked the Lawes are so well established and executed that no man dareth to lay violent hands vpon his Minister but yet the wicked will hurt him with their slanderous tongue many times and keepe his dues from him sometimes priuily that hee shall not know it And if hee doth know it then many times they will plead a custome their custome to deceiue yea they will say Our custome is an ancient custome Whereas Mala consuetudo est erroris vetustas that is An euill custome is the antiquity of an errour Some when they are called are somewhat more Formall Morall and mannerly then the former were For although they are meere Worldlings and preferre earthly things before heauenly yet they couer their affections and make comely excuses and reasonable as they thinke and will say when they are absent from a Sermon Wee were hindred by such and such meanes that wee could not be at it very like to them that were bidden to the great Supper and made seuerall excuses One said Luke 14. I haue bought a Farme and I goe to see it Another said I haue bought fiue yoke of Oxen and I goe to proue them and the third said I haue married a Wife and therefore I cannot come But none of these excuses pleased the Lord the maker of the Feast For hee being angry with these said None of these shall taste of my Supper of my spirituall and heauenly dish-meates and of my costly banquet What greater ingratitude and churlishnesse could any shew Nay what greater sottishnesse can the whole world bewray then to preferre Chaffe before pure Wheat rust before Iron Lead before Siluer Copper before pure Gold earthly and fraile things before heauenly and eternall good things And yet so foolish are we and ignorant yea so void of discretion and piety that we will still pretend and alledge one cause or another to hinder our comming when we are called thinking that we thereby help our selues when we most of all hurt our owne soules We pretend lets as that man did who when our Sauiour called him said Suffer me first to goe and bury my Father and we are worse then hee that would goe and bid them that were of his houshold Farewell and then resolued to come For many neuer resolue to obey their calling at any time but stand backe with wily shifts good for nothing but to beguile themselues So truely spake Christ No man commeth to me saith he vnlesse the Father draw him Marke the word draw as though a man were holden backe of some Tyrant as of Satan or were of himselfe so vnwilling to come that he must be drawne and haled along Let vs make excuses no longer but pray vnto God to giue vs both to will and power to performe Phil. 2. for in him it is to performe both The speciall and effectuall calling a benefit proper to Gods Children hath euer election going before it for it is the first fruit of it and comes next from it and therefore Paul sets our falling next to predestination Rom. 8.30 This speciall and effectuall calling takes place onely in them that are elect when as God doth by the preaching of the Gospel call vs out of the kingdome of Satan and sinne and as it were out of this world of wickednesses to the kingdome of Christ of grace and of light to be of the number of his children to be sheepe of his fold And here we are to note that God doth not call vs all at one time but at sundry times as it shall please him to dispense his grace vnto vs as we may see by his sending of labourers at seuerall houres into his Vineyard Mat. 20. Some are sanctified in their mothers wombe and speedily called and sent to their offices Mat. 3. as Iohn Baptist in his youth Peter when hee was of ripe age Paul somewhat late and the theefe when he was readie to be crucified Before the time of their calling they wander in the vast solitude and wildernesse of this world nothing differing from other men in outward shape but in qualities and maners and they being Christs sheepe are so saued and guided by him that they cannot bee taken from him Ioh. 10. neither runne into the pit of destruction This effectuall calling is wrought by the preaching of the Word and by these three meanes First God openeth and prepareth the eares which are the mouthes of the soule the bodie hath but one mouth to receiue corporall nutriment to sustaine it but the soule being the better part of man hath two mouths I meane his two eares to receiue in food for it which God openeth to that purpose as Dauid doth teach vs by his owne example Psal 40. saying Sacrifice and offerings thou didst not desire for mine eares hast thou prepared Secondly attendance is giuen to that which is preached and taught for he that hath cares to heare is commanded to heare Mat. 13. Reuel 2. Esa 55.3 And the Prophet Esay craueth and calleth for this attendance saying Encline your eares and draw neere heare and your soules shall liue Thirdly there followeth this preaching eares opening and good attendance giuen a wonderfull compunction and pricking of the heart as it may appeare by the example of those people that heard the Sermon of Peter who said vnto Peter and the other Apostles Act. 2.37 Men and brethren What shall we doe Well Peter followed them so earnestly when he saw them comming with good doctrine and exhortation that he did win them and there was added to the Church about three thousand soules But beloued note this that there is euer much adoe before that the Law compared to an hammer can breake the knottie affections of the heart and so currie and make the ground of mans heart fit to receiue the seede of the Gospel and there plant faith that may purifie it Acts 15.9 But here perhaps some may desire to know by what characters markes and signes a man may assure his soule that hee is predestinated to eternall life that he may take comfort by this doctrine For resolution marke this which I haue penned for thy good If thou seest thy sinnes and perceiuest Gods wrath and anger ready to fall on thee for them dislikest them art grieued for them bewailest them and heartily crauest pardon for them and beginnest to become a new man continuest with increase in the faith of Iesus Christ and doest seeke after the kingdome of God then no doubt thou art elected and effectually called Moreouer if thou art readie as it were with an Eccho to answere to euery thing that the Spirit of God shall endite and the Preacher shall speake truly out of Gods Booke then thou art effectually called Looke to Dauids example Psal 40. Psal 40. In the volume or rolle of thy booke it is written of me that I should doe thy will O my God I am content to doe it or I am delighted with it